Established by Colonial French in the early 18th century. Rebuilt by the Spanish - 1779. American restoration
- 1808. Built to protect New Orleans from attack by way of Lake Pontchartrain.
1779- Fort St. John/Spanish Fort is established
At Bayou St. John and Lake Pontchartrain, the Spanish erected a fort (San Juan del Bayou)to protect the city
from invasion via the lake. Much later it became a thriving amusement and resort area. For a complete history click the link
below.
August 18th, 1779: A hurricane made landfall at New Orleans. At that time, Spain had declared war on Great Britain. Almost
all of Bernardo de Galvez' ships (Governor of New Orleans) that were to be used to secretly seize the British post at Baton
Rouge were grounded or destroyed, thus ruining his plans for invasion until the 27th. The only ship that escaped disaster
was El Volante. Some of the ships were found in the middle of woods after the storm!...Wind and rain began on the night of
the 17th. Full violence of the storm was attained by 3 am. All houses, piroughs, barges, and boats were decimated; fields
were leveled and all crops, stock, and provisions were lost. These included an American Frigate, the Morris...During this
storm, William Dunbar made observations that uncovered the true nature of tropical storms and hurricanes; that they had a
progressive forward movement and that the winds revolved around a vortex at the center. His findings were presented to the
American Philosophical Society in 1801.
The French established a landing at the headwaters of the bayou and named it Port St. John when the City of New Orleans
was established at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1701, the French constructed a fortress near the mouth of the Bayou.
Under Spanish rule in 1779, the fort was rebuilt and became known as Spanish Fort. Remnants of the structure still exist.
Local folklore says that the voodoo queen, Marie Laveau, performed voodoo at the mouth of Bayou St. John on Lake Pontchartrain.
As early as 1703 (15 years before the founding of New Orleans), the Bayou was used as a shipping
channel for French trappers and traders who lived on the Bayou. Prior to the arrival of the French, a Choctaw Indian village
of the Houmas tribe existed at the headwaters of the Bayou. They had probably already relocated to what is now called Houma,
Louisiana by the time the French arrived. The French established a landing at the headwaters and named it Port St. John when
the City of New Orleans was established. A route to the new City on the river was cleared and named Grand Route St. John.
A street bearing this name still exist to memorialize this route. In 1701, the French constructed a fortress near the mouth
of the Bayou. Under Spanish rule in 1779, the fort was rebuilt and became known as Spanish Fort. Remnants of the structure
still exist. Local folklore says that the voodoo queen, Marie Laveau, performed voodoo at the mouth of Bayou St. John on Lake
Pontchartrain.
1779 to 1823, Fort St. John Fort St. John/Spanish Fort is established. At Bayou St. John and Lake Pontchartrain,
the Spanish erected a fort (San Juan del Bayou)to protect the city from invasion via the lake. In 1823 the fort was decommissioned
and sold to resort developers in the area. They renamed the area 'Spanish Fort'. Source: Historic American Buildings--American
Memory-Library of Congress 1779 to 1823, Fort St. John - National Register of Historic Places Located at Bayou St. John near
Robert E. Lee Blvd. it was entered into the National Register of Historic Places on November 2, 1983.1779 to 1823, Fort St.
John - National Register of Historic Places Under Spanish rule in 1779, the fort was rebuilt and became known as Spanish Fort.
Remnants of the structure still exist. Local folklore says that the voodoo queen, Marie Laveau, performed voodoo at the mouth
of Bayou St. John on Lake Pontchartrain. Under Spanish rule in 1779, the fort was rebuilt and became known as Spanish Fort.
Remnants of the structure still exist. Local folklore says that the voodoo queen, Marie Laveau, performed voodoo at the mouth
of Bayou St. John on Lake Pontchartrain. Source: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:56zbtuL-mss:pubweb.northwestern.edu/~baa328/project/bayou.html+%22bayou+st.+john%22+port&hl=en
